He walked more beside me than in front of me, somehow still guiding me
forward with every careful step. The wisps of shadows surrounding him
were swirling ever so softly, like a thin veil of smoke. I took a few
extended glances at it, trying to peer through it, trying to understand
what its make-up was. It wasn't anything like a fog or a fabric or a
mask really. It was literally made of shadows. As though they
rushed to conceal him the second he passed any dark section of the
sidewalk. All you could see were the swirling colors of his eyes, and
occassionally...a silhouette of his lips moving behind the darkness. It
was eerie, in fact it was downright scary, the first few times
you witnessed it for yourself. But now I think I was just filled with
this curious fascination. It was something to 'figure out', and it kept
one small part of my mind dedicated to doing just that.

"These are serious times, Justin." He said, his mellow voice warning me
of bad things to come. "There's been quite a disturbance among us as of
late." Comicality's voice lowered in pitch. Whatever it is he had to
tell me, it must have been important. I could almost feel his concern
through his words alone. "A series of rather 'tragic' incidents have
taken place in the last few weeks. The elders are becoming agitated with
such displays of random violence." He took a careful look at me, "The
reports say that the attacker is a boy about your age, recently born
into darkness...calling himself 'Rage'."

"I know." I said softly, and he looked over at me. "I mean...I
heard."

"Then you know about the wounded and dying vampires now forced
underground by this new threat?" He said calmly.

"Yeah...sort of." I mumbled, and there was a short silence between us.
"Com...I swear to you, no matter what you might have heard or who
told it to you...it WASN'T me!" I had to make it clear. I HAD to.
"I've made some mistakes about keeping my identity a secret, but I would
NEVER do anything like that! Not ever!" I was almost pleading at this
point. "You've gotta believe me....I didn't do it. It wasn't me."

"No, Justin. I don't think it was you either." He stopped walking and
turned towards me. I was a bit surprised that he actually took me at my
word. "It takes a completely different 'kind' of person to do this." I
should have been thankful that he didn't suspect me in these horrible
crimes, but a huge part of me wanted to ask why. Even if it meant
pushing the envelope and possibly causing a sense of doubt in his mind.
"I went to examine the locations where the incidents took place, and the
essence left behind matches a certain 'pattern'. Every time." He said.

"Essence? What essence?"

"Every act committed in this world and in humanity, leaves behind a
piece of the person who did it. A certain personality trait, a calling
card. It is as genuine and individual as a fingerprint. You can tell by
the way the events happened." Com stood in front of me, and it took some
concentration to ignore the swirling shadows around him. I had to look
downward to avoid staring rudely. "The movements that this boy used
against his victims...they were much different from the ones that I
taught you. They were hostile, aggressive. The wounds inflicted on his
victims were deep and brutally done. As though they were made in
unrestricted anger. Judging from the footprints in the floor and the
wreckage of the locations themselves, the fighting style seems erratic.
Almost psychotic."

"But what I don't understand is...why does everybody suddenly assume
that it was ME?" I asked.

"Unfortunately...while this vampire is causing a great amount of
turbulence out here...he has managed to stay relatively invisible.
Comfortably slipping underneath the extended radar of the Elders. He's
been very careful about his activities up to this point, and he's
enjoying staying hidden. At least...for now."
"For NOW?" I said, looking back at him in question. "What's that
supposed to mean?"

"It 'means' that this is merely the beginning. There will be
more...demonstrations soon."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The vampires he attacked...they had no relation to one another
whatsoever. They weren't overly powerful, or dangerous, or even all that
well known. They held no high ranking in the vampire order..." He looked
up at the stars and paused for a moment. "...And yet....evidence shows
that each attack was specifically selected, timed, and executed to
perfection. No mistakes. This person chose them and chose wisely,
slaughtering them with a level of brutality that was sure to make people
take notice of his capabilities." He said. "This vampire wants to be
noticed, Justin. It's the 'tornado' effect."

"The tornado effect?"

"Yes. You see an actual tornado itself cannot be seen by the naked eye.
It's merely a swirling storm of wind. It only becomes visible...by the
amount of damage it causes."

"You mean...."

"He's using these other vampires as 'debris'. He's announcing his
'arrival' into our world. And this will continue until he gets the
particular attention that he is searching for." Com stared in my
direction, and my eyes were forced back down to the ground. To look for
too long was a dizzying experience. Possibly his intention. "I doubt he
knows of your existence yet. However, there are many other vampires that
do. Vampires that have seen you in action, and are drawing the only
conclusions that they can as to your intentions."

"But I've been trying my HARDEST to keep it quiet."

"Quiet? The display at the fighting arena? The fight in a previously
hidden sanctuary?..." He began, and I knew that I was caught. "...You
were seen fighting outside of a local 'spice shack', and apparently you
had a run in with the police....?"

"OK!" I said, cutting him off. "Maybe I had a......FEW unexpected
outbursts lately. But they were ALL neccessary! Besides, that doesn't
mean I've been purposely spreading it around town."

"Perhaps not. But you must understand that all reports, while fuzzy at
best, tell of a 14 year old boy. Someone still young in his crossover,
who has the uncanny ability to fight with 'unmatched' skill...and go toe
to toe with even the most experienced fighters with little to no
effort." He told me. "You......are the only 'visible' candidate
fitting that description, Justin. And you will remain so until this
entity decides to show himself. You've been seen performing feats that
most vampires don't learn until much much later in their existence. And
considering that there is a lot of bad blood between this phantom
attacker and the friends of those he's injured...that makes things very
dangerous for you indeed. Innocent or not...YOU have been
recognized as the threat." His dark morphing cape wrapped tightly around
him as he continued. "As far as the elders are concerned, they are still
unsure if the rumors of the prophecy are valid just yet. They have sent
seekers out into the streets to find the truth. I don't believe they
have dispatched any Hunters yet to take care of the current threat...but
that could change in a heartbeat if the wrong suggestion is whispered in
their ear. That could be a problem for you and your friends."

Again, I was confronted with the awful concept of complete and total
helplessness. People had seen me, they were talking about me. No matter
what I did now, it was too late to take it back. "So...what do I do?" I
asked.

Comicality's whole aura seemed to darken upon hearing that question. He
paused slightly, as though allowing me time to prepare myself for the
answer. "You prepare to defend yourself."

My heart nearly stopped. "DEFEND myself? But I didn't DO
anything!" I said, feeling a panic begin to build inside of me.

"I'm sorry, Justin. But I'm afraid that the laws of this world aren't as
specific as they are in daylight. As long as there is word out there
that you may be the one who caused this, there is a danger that some
irrational vampire will be out there looking to 'fix' things. I will do
my best to dispel the rumors I've heard so far, but there are many
people blinded with their own sense of justice...and they WILL be coming
for you." He stopped us from walking and put his hands on either side of
my head. "I will send you a protector. Someone to watch over you while I
cannot. But in the meantime, you will need more skills to be able to
fend for yourself until the protector arrives."

Why? I just didn't understand why. "This...this is all going so fast.
What can I do...?"

"I want you to meet me 'here', tomorrow night as soon as you awake from
your sleep." He handed me a small map with an old building specifically
marked with an 'X'. "I will have two young men there waiting to aid you
in some more advanced fighting techniques. Be ready to absorb as much as
you possibly can. We're giving you the pure definition of a 'crash
course' in combat." His thumbs then slid up to my neck, feeling the
faint beat of my pulse. "And...you're going to have to feed, Justin. No
delays this time. You're going to need your mind clear and focused, not
lost in the fog of hunger. You don't have long until it begins to affect
your thought process." My face dropped considerably, the fear and
sadness combining into a swirling emotion of chaos. Everything was
finally falling into place for me. I was finally learning who I am,
beginning to understand what I can do...truly accept my new life in
darkness. I had found a family who cared for me, and was learning more
and more about them everyday. Now, all of the sudden, I'm feel myself
being 'pushed' again. Harder and harder. Tossed around as my will gave
way to unavoidable circumstance, again and again. Hurry up and hide,
hurry up and learn, hurry up and fight, hurry up and feed...why was this
happening to me? All I ever wanted was to be loved and accepted for who
I am. I guess that's the dream that can't be reached. Not here, not
anywhere. Com could see the look on my face and feel the fear in my
heart. My head drooped downwards, but he lifted my eyes by putting his
fingertips on my chin. "Justin...I realize that the sudden adjustment is
difficult for you. Having the power you have inside you can be quite a
burden for one person to carry. Especially someone your age. But the
fact of the matter is...you possess the rare abilities needed to truly
make a change in everything that you touch. Whether you are ready for
that responsibility or not...may not be up to you."

"I just want to be left alone..." I said sadly. "I didn't ask for
any of this." Thoughts of having to look over my shoulder
everywhere I went, of having to murder someone else in cold blood while
they scream for help...it made me weak in the knees, and I sank down to
the ground. I sat there against the railing, feeling tears well up in my
eyes. "I can't do this anymore."

Com stood in front of me, looking down at what must have been a pretty
pathetic picture considering that I was supposed to be this great
'warrior' for our world. I'm no warrior. I'm no savior. I'm 14 years
old, I can't even do long division without my brain freezing up
on me. I was never taught to ba any kind of fighter. Deep down, I'm just
a scared little kid who wants a little more time in his life to 'play'.
I just...wanted time to be a kid. Comicality could feel my emotions
dampening, and lifted my chin further in an attempt to keep me strong.
"You know, Justin...they say that a good man isn't formed by his
achievements and successes, but by what he learns in times of distress
and confusion. Without hard times, there can be no growth."

"I'm NOT a man! I'm only fourteen for Christ sake!"

He stood up and reached out his other hand to me to offer me a chance to
get up on my feet. "Growth and maturity don't happen with age. They
happen with experience." He waited with his hand outstretched,
and finally, after some hesitation, I took it. He lifted me to my feet
again and brushed off my shoulders. "I understand your tears, Justin. We
all had to go through it at one time or the other. But what you have to
remember is that you have been through a lot in your life, and you're
still standing. You're still here. You've survived thus far, and I have
every confidence that you will continue to do so through this ordeal."
With a gentle push, Comicality pointed me in the direction of home. "Go
back to the lot. Look at what you have there. See who you are as
reflected through the eyes of your friends. You'll see that in the end,
your chances are much better than you think."

"But Com....what if I can't....?" I turned around, and he was already
gone. The shadows, once again, went back to their stillness, and all was
silent again. I hate it when he does that. I guess that was the end of
the questions for tonight.

I took my time walking back to the lot that night. Spending some of
those long minutes in despair, and others wondering why Comicality
should have so much faith in me when I can barely muster up enough to
sleep at night. But I suppose the best thing to do was to...appreciate
the time I have left, and pray that I make it for as long as I can.
That's all I can hope for at this point.

I had almost reached home, when I suddenly became aware of a presence
somewhere around me. I can't say that it was a hostile presence or
not...but it was there. I stopped walking and took a moment to look
around me, wondering what it was that was watching me. It seemed to fade
rather quickly once I stopped and started searching the area, but I know
that I felt something. It was unmistakeable. I waited for a few
moments in silence...and the feeling faded completely. Whatever it was
that triggered that eerie feeling within me, it was gone. I had an
uneasy sensation still lingering in the back of my senses, but whatever,
or WHOever it was that was watching me...they had retreated into the
distance. And that meant that I had missed my opportunity to find out.
Very strange indeed. Maybe it was nothing, but I'd keep my eyes peeled
from now on. Just in case.

Coming back in through the gate, I saw Doc still over by his little
habitat, his blood samples packed away in a small brown briefcase that
he must have gotten out of the dump from the looks of it. He had put
them away, but the samples were waiting inside the bag in case I came
back like I said I would. There were others in the yard as well, but I
needed to see him first. Doc had always been nice to me, from day one.
He didn't deserve to be treated so rudely. I at least owed him an
apology. I walked over, and as expected, Doc greeted me with a big
smile, his dimples standing out almost as much as the flare of his eyes.
"Did ya have a good night out?"

I gave him a caring look, ignoring the grin and the comment completely.
I knew he was just smiling for my benefit. I could feel it. Just to keep
from confronting me for being a jerk. "Doc...I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what? It's not like I asked you to bring dinner back.
Hehehe!" He grinned. But I wouldn't let him cover it up. Not this time.

"I shouldn't have walked out on you like that. I just needed to get my
head straight, ok?"

I think some of what I was saying was actually starting to seep in
through his joyful defenses. But he attempted to smile anyway. "It's ok,
Justin. Really. I understand. This stuff is boring anyway..."

"No...no it's not. You were trying to help me, and I appreciate it." I
said. "I care a lot about you, and you more than deserved my attention
tonight. I'm sorry, k?"

"Sure thing, dude."

"I mean it, Doc." I made sure to look him right in the eye, and
it was then that he paused, and finally accepted the apology. For real
this time.

"Um...th-th-thanks." He said, almost timidly. His face...his eyes...I'll
never forget how he looked back at me. It was almost as if I was the
first person to truthfully apologize to him and make sure he understood.
His expression was undefineable. He then reached out to touch my arm,
and smiled graciously at me. The thankfulness of his stare was enough to
give me a slight chill of satisfaction in finally getting through to
him. He then turned and rolled away from me. I don't know if he was
quite sure how to handle it, but I felt good knowing that he actually
felt better, instead of just 'pretending' that he did for my sake. The
emotion I read from him was indescribable. I couldn't quite match it up
with anything that I had ever felt before. Almost like shame and pride,
bashfulness and admiration, all mixed in together. It was weird, but it
must have made him feel good inside. And that meant everything to me at
that moment.

I looked around and saw Kid snuggled up with his new teddy bear on the
ground while leaning up against a stack of tires, hugging it tightly and
leaning on Jenna's shoulder. Rain and Darren were off to the side,
practically rubbing noses, and it was so damn...odd. Rain's face
didn't even look the same when she was....'smiling'. Bryson, however,
wasn't happy at all. He sat in his truck behind the steering wheel all
night, staring over at Rain and her 'intruder'...then he looked away.
Almost in disgust. Or maybe....it was heartbreak.

I saw Taryn come out of our makeshift 'home', and I sent him a smile. I
put up a finger to let him know that I'd be there in a minute, and he
blew me a kiss to return the greeting. I just wanted to make a quick
trip over to Dion's before going inside for the night. With all that I
had to face, and all that I had been through...I needed him and everyone
else here know that I loved them. That I cared more for them than
they'll ever know. And unfortunately....more than I've ever said to
either one of them. I hope to change that in the days to come.

Dion was laid back, listening to soft music, and Napolean was curled up
quietly at his side. When I came over, he had such a look of bliss on
his face. It made me smile. "Hey Dion, I just wanted to say..."

"Shhhhh...." He whispered.

"What?"

"SHHH!" He said a bit louder, cutting me off while he listened for a
particular part of the song. He whispered, "It's Sarah
Vaughan...absolutely incredible."

I listened to the song for a bit in silence, the smooth voice lifting
Dion's eyes up to the sky. 'I'll be seeing you in every lovely summer's
day and in everything that's light and gay. I'll always, always, always
think of you that way...' I'll admit, it was beautiful. "It's nice..." I
said. But he cut me off again.

"Shhh shhh shhh! Wait...this is it!" And his eyes closed as the last
notes of the song spilled out of his little radio. 'I'll be looking at
the moon.....but I'll be seeing....youuuuuu...' The last note was a high
pitch that caused Dion to close his eyes in appreciation for its
perfection. And he sighed to himself as the song came to an end. "She's
absolute magic, you know that?" He said, sitting up.

"I don't remember you having that cd before."

"I stole it from the house boat on the lake tonight." He said, and got a
sideways grin from me. "What?" I just shook my head. "Kid got a
teddy bear!" That was his only defense, and I guess he didn't need
anything more than that. He hopped down next to me and asked, "So what's
up?"

I didn't say anything at first, I just walked over, and gave him a tight
hug, with my arms wrapped lovingly around his neck. It caught him a bit
off guard and he wasn't quite sure how to take it, but I told him, "I'm
not letting you go until you hug me back."

I felt his arms wrap around my waist, and I grinned at his confusion
over it all. "You know, Justin......I swear you get more and more screwy
every night that I see you."

"I just...I needed to say...'thank you', Dion."

"Thank you for what?"

I loosened the hug, and looked him in the eye. "Just...'thank
you'....k?" And I let him go, turning to walk away beore he got the
chance to ask anymore questions. I almost had to giggle to myself at
leaving him so confused, but he'd figure it out, and hopefully he'd
understand. Com was right. I truly had to take a look at what I had in
order to gain the faith I needed for what I had to go through. And what
I had...was 'family'.

I made a quick stop to Bryson's truck, and saw him steadily looking
forward, a pouty expression on his face. "Just wanted to say g'night,
Bryson. And I'm sorry about tonight. I know my training is important to
you and all..."

"Whatever." He said quietly. "We'll do it tomorrow."

It was the LAST thing I expected to hear come out of his mouth. If
anything, I expected him to come up with some weird chore as punishment.
"Bryson...?"

"What?" He mumbled. Seeming as if he just wanted to be alone with his
misery for a while.

"I don't say it enough...but I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're
taking so much care with my crossover and all. I know you wouldn't be so
hard on us if you didn't have to."

His eyes glanced over at me for a moment, before looking back over at
Rain again. "If I'm 'hard' on you, it's because I care about you.
A LOT. I don't understand why it's so difficult for you guys to realize
that." He was definitely hurting inside. "Some people....they just don't
appreciate anything." He said staring even harder at Rain as her and
Darren exchanged a short, but sweet, kiss on the hood of her car. "I
wasn't always like this, you know? There was a time when I wanted to
have fun and play games too." I couldn't tell if he was more upset, or
depressed. Maybe an even balance of both. "They grow up so fast, you
know? I do my best to protect them and keep them all straight...I try to
keep them out of trouble, and listen to their problems, and truly BE
there for them. God knows there was no one there for me when I
grew up. It just...it gets harder and harder to get them to listen to
me." He said. "I'm not just some awful grump, Justin. I do what I do to
keep some kind of structure here. Or at least I try."

"We know, Bryson. And you do an awesome job of watching over us. Really,
you do. I don't know what I'd be doing if you weren't at least trying to
help me learn something out here."

"Maybe. But I know one thing...I don't plan to ever lose anyone ever
again. I'm gonna watch over them. I'm gonna keep them safe." He said
with a quiver in his voice. "I'd give my life for any one of them. Even
when it hurts."

"Did you...ever lose anybody?" I asked, but he looked over at me and
didn't answer.

He simply let out a long sigh, and said, "What's the point of being a
kid forever...when you have to grow up so fast?" He focused his eyes
down at the steering wheel, his eyes beginning to glow faintly with the
beginning of tears. And he gave me one last glance while he was able to
keep up a strong front. "G'night, Justin."

With Bryson, there's a fine line between needing a nudge and needing
some space. This was one of those times when I should just say,
"G'night." And move on. He'd be back to normal the next evening. He
never held a grudge for long. But there were times when I wonder what
made him pull the reins so tight on the rest of us. Times when I wonder
what nasty experience created that 'fatherly' part of him, and made him
abandon the 'fun' he avoided so much. Exactly what did he lose that
could have shut him down so completely?

I walked back to join Taryn, and gave him a kiss the moment I shut the
door behind me. "Well, hello there." He smiled in response.

His hair was wet, and he was drying it off a bit with one of his shirts.
He smelled sooo good. "You're wet."

"I took a shower at the old church. It's just taking my hair forever to
dry..." He said, vigorously toweling it off. A few driplets of water
slid down his neck, and I had to fight to keep from sucking it off for
him. He really was amazing when you saw him up close. I wanted to kiss
him all the time, and never let my lips leave his. Not even for a single
moment to tell him how much I loved him.

"I love you." The words seemed to suddenly leave my mouth automatically,
without thought or preparation. He inspired them with glow of his spirit
alone. Taryn stopped drying his hair, and a gentle blush came to his
face.

"Hehehe...okaaay." He grinned. "I love you too." Then he felt my
forehead with his hand, asking, "You feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm...better than fine. Just...had to be said. You know?" I
hugged him close for another peck on the lips.

"You're so cute when you're being 'weird'." He smiled, and I tossed a
pillow at him to keep him quiet.

I thought for a moment and said, "How long has Rain been here at the
lot? I mean...has she been here the whole time?"

"Hmmm...not sure really. Not as long as I have though. It's hard to put
a time frame on things when you're out here, you know?" He said. "But if
I had to guess, I'd say it's been about six or seven years."

"Her and Bryson fight an awful lot. After so much time together, you'd
think they'd either get along or go their seperate ways."

"They have a weird connection, those two. I can't explain it. I won't
even try."

"Well...I know I might be jumping to conclusions or something, but...I
think Bryson might...kinda...'like' her a little bit."

"Well DUH!" Taryn giggled.

"You knew that already?"

"Everybody here knows that, except for the two of them. I don't
suggest you bring it up to either one of them though. You'll either end
up with a month's worth of back breaking chores from Bryson, or possibly
a BROKEN ARM from Rain."

"Ouch..."

"They'll figure it out someday. Hell, we're just a few steps away from
taking bets on when it'll happen." Taryn said, standing up and kicking
off his shoes. "I must admit though, this whole 'Darren' thing threw me
for a loop. I didn't see that coming at ALL." He was just starting to
get undressed, and all I could do was stare. Just having him barefoot in
the trailer was enough to excite me. He caught me looking. "If I knew
you were gonna watch, I would have put on a bit more of a 'show'
for you. Hehehe!"

"Can't help it...you're gorgeous." I smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm." I nodded.

"You wanna stand up here and be 'gorgeous' with me for a few minutes?" I
rose to my feet, and our arms naturally snaked their way around each
other. His eyes met mine, and we just gazed at one another for a moment.
Sometimes, I swear....I could see all of life's beauty in the softness
of his sensual smile, hear the world's most spectacular song in the
beating of his heart. His eyes could melt away any pain, any fear, any
doubt at all that you were worth the effort. He was the only one who
could ever do that for me. The only one.

Standing next to him, I put my hand lightly on his arm. Up by the
shoulder, and let it slide slowly down to his wrist. Then bringing his
hand up to my lips, kissing it gently. Then, giving in to a mischevious
urge, I gave his thumb a nibble. Barely enough to leave a mark, but
Taryn playfull swatted me on the arm anyway. "Ah! No biting!" He giggled
quietly.

"This, coming from you of all people."

"Hey now...be nice. Or you don't get dessert." He smiled, and I leaned
in to kiss him tenderly on the lips. Eager to feel him close to me
again. Aching for the opportunity for our souls to interlock once
more.

"God, I love you, Taryn." I sighed. And although he had heard me say it
a million times before...he began to softly blush in front of me.

It all began with an eye contact that would cause your heart to melt
into jelly at first glance. The raw emotion that would well up in me
when he looked at me like that...it made me want to cry tears of joy. To
be so connected to someone through the gaze of their eyes alone, or the
soft sensation of having their breath land politely on your lips from
the decreased distance between you. I was compelled to drink in the pure
magic captured in the mere sight of him. He was soooo beautiful. Too
beautiful for words to describe. To even attempt to seemed to
blaspheme the level of beauty he possessed. I stared into the apple
green splendor of his eyes, alive with a desire for me and all that I
am. Cascading on either side of his soft smooth cheeks were his silken
locks of brown hair, tainted by the sweetest touch of reddish cherry
wine coloring. A color that only nature could create. His lips called to
me, and I answered as though I had no choice. His kiss was the only
thing I hungered for at that moment. The only thing that mattered.

It was always a miraculous moment...those few split seconds right before
our lips touched. When I was leaning forward to meet him, and I could
see his eyes close tenderly as my own vision faded to black and we
blindly reached out for a pleasure that would take us to heights
unknown.

Contact.

Just lips at first...followed by open mouthed kissing....and finally,
our tongues began to make love to one another. Locked in the steamy
embrace of a lover's kiss. It would last for an eternity, our hands
rubbing small circles on each other's back...until our eagerness for
more took over our everlasting enjoyment of the kiss. It was one of my
favorite parts, undressing slowly with him, breaking our liplock only
long enough to remove our shirts. Bare chested, and feeling the pulse of
his beating heart as our warm skin wrapped itself around each other. A
cute giggle and a sensual smile shared between us as our flesh touched
for the first time. Shirtless, our skin covered in softened goosebumps.
The pants would follow next, leaving us in our boxer shorts as we tried
to kick them off to the side. Sometimes needing to hold onto one
another's shoulders to stand on the pants leg and lift our other foot to
get it untangled. My hands would travel downward, and gently slip under
the elastic of his underwear, stretching it out and rubbing the soft
melons underneath. I'd squeeze and knead the mounds inside, and Taryn's
kiss would increase in its intensity, his breathing giving way to short
gasps and whimpers. And I would lower his shorts from the back until I
felt his stiffness spring out from the front, bouncing proudly and
throbbing with every heart beat. It was the most erotic part of the
whole encounter. Absolutely mindblowing.

Naked, we would both lay on the mattress, side by side, facing each
other. Our kissing would continue, and our arms and legs would
intertwine as tightly as possible. Letting not one breeze of air, not
one beam of light, pass between us. We would be as close as our bodies
would allow, and his warmth and mine would mingle together in the most
comfortable heated embrace. I loved the way Taryn's body felt in my
arms. His skin was like soft warm bread, my hands felt no resistance as
they traveled up and down the smoothness of his back. His hair was still
damp from his shower, and I let my fingers brush through it, feeling the
moisture as his kiss slid down to the nape of my neck. Having Taryn suck
at my neck was more exciting than I could express, and I would always
have to stop him before I exploded from that sensation alone.

I let my lips and tongue slowly drag a trail down his chest, over the
softness of his warm tummy, and then down to his thighs...licking the
inside of each one. My nose would brush against his balls gently, and I
could feel his legs twitch as my tongue's kitten licks and swipes came
closer and closer to the center uderneath his sack. A few more licks
would take me over their tender wrinkled surface, before sucking them
into my mouth and letting the flavor of him fill me up inside. I knew
Taryn felt weightless, I knew he loved it when I did that. His legs
would spread wider and wider, as though there would be no limit to how
far apart they could go. And when his hands would slide down to run
small circles through my hair, when his moans turned into needy whimpers
and lustful sighs, I knew that it was his signal for me to go further.
So without a word, I licked upwards, inch by inch, until I reached the
spongy head of his heated shaft, and I sucked him in. Ohhhh the taste of
him. My mouth was always so wet when I sucked Taryn. I would be
salivating at the thought of having him in me, the thought of being at
the controls and making him feel so good.

My hand slid up Taryn's smooth chest, running my palm over his nipples
and tweaking them gently. They were sooo hard, almost 'sharp' at the
point. And everytime I passed over them, I could feel his length tighten
up and spasm on the surface of my tongue. I inhaled deeply and used a
harder suction to pull him further back to nearly touch my tonsils, my
tongue holding him snugly against the soft roof of my mouth. Taryn
gasped and his thighs trembled beneath me, his excitement surging
through his body like lightning. My nose was buried in the wisps of his
adolecent hair, still sparse enough to see the tender flesh at the base
of his pubes, and I let it tickle the tip of my nose as I worked my
tongue all around him. We were both in heaven. My fingers reached
further up, feeling Taryn's neck, and brushing alongside his cheek. He
turned his head slightly to suck my middle finger into his mouth, and I
let it playfully rest on the waterbed softness of his tongue. We
contnued this for as long as he could stand, and he used his hands to
lift my head from his member.

I felt my finger slip from his mouth, and watched excitedly as Taryn
grinned sexily at me, rolling over onto his belly, and craning his neck
back to give me a sensuous stare. The sight of his ass...unimaginably
soft, round, perfectly molded into shape. He slowly humped the mattress
in anticipation, and his pale cheeks dimpled at the sides, giving a hint
as to how tight it was going to be inside. I shook as though I was
nervous, but I wasn't. My body simply reacted the only way it knew how,
and the overload of sexual frenzy caused me to quake inside. Taryn
reached beside the mattress for the small tube of vaseline we kept
nearby. And as he put a helthy dip onto his hand, I leaned forward to
lick the back of his thighs. From behind his knee, all the way up to the
rise of his globes. He reached back to grab a handful of my hardness...a
steel rod that was aching for him, praying for release before the strain
snapped it like a rubber band. He greased me up, and I was so incredibly
aroused that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it past the next
stroke of his fingertips. I used my hands to feel around his cheeks,
spreading the cleft apart to find that, as always, he was just as tight
now as he was the first time we had sex. Almost tighter. Always
reverting back to the pure untouched boy that he was when he first
crossed over, always a virgin, always and forever. I bent down further
to give it a gentle kiss before Taryn released me and laid back down,
his chin resting on the pillow, his legs spread wide to accept me.

I always took a long look at him when I first crawled behind him to work
my way in. From his slim shoulders, to his sleek back, to his small
waist, to his supple ass, to his tender thighs. Every inch of him was as
erotic as anyone could ever dream. At times like these, it's still hard
to come to terms with the fact that he's mine. All mine.

Taryn would hold his cheeks apart while I aimed and tried my best to
guide myself in slowly. It always took work and patience to get him
adjusted to me again, but I'd never hurt him. I'd never want to take a
moment of pleasure away from him while we were engaged in the art of
making love. Long slow hours of making love. His entrance was so
constricted, even for a boy his age. I felt huge in comparison, trying
my best to go slow...even when it felt soooooo good. Once the head
popped in and we took a moment to get used to the feeling, he'd let me
know he was ready with a soft wiggle of his hips. Then I'd push inward,
the warm gelatin mass of his insides opening up and surrounding me as I
slipped into his heated tunnel. My God...my whole BODY was alive! I
could feel every inch of me reacting seperately to the feel of him
sucking me further into his body. And just when it came to the last inch
or two, he would lift his hips slightly, and take me the rest of the way
in while I gasped in ecstacy. Buried in to the hilt. His bubbled cheeks
were like silk against the top of my thighs, his every breath making his
opening constrict around me and sending another wave of pleasure
shooting up my spine. I lowered myself down to my elbows, laying on
Taryn's back and letting some of my body weight anchor him down to the
mattress. His back and shoulders still had the faint smell of shampoo,
especially around his neck, from when the soapy suds ran gently down
from his shower. I leaned forward to lick the back of his neck as I let
myself slip out of him a few inches. Then I very slowly pushed my way
back in. His inner grip was pushing me over the edge of sanity, the
tightness almost strangling me as I began moving in and out slowly.
Taryn would whimper softly, and I could feel the vibrations of his
boyish whines from the inside, tickling me from all angles. I rested all
the way on Taryn's back and let my hands reach out to grab the tops of
his. The rhythm began, pushing and pulling tenderly while we did our
best to hold on to an inevitale orgasm that was sure to wreck havoc in
us both when it was ready. My now sensitive nipples were gliding over
the lovely texture of his back as we continued to intimately bring each
other closer to climax. I'd kiss his cheek as his head turned to the
side, and he would try to reach his head back far enough to tongue kiss
me passionately. Sometimes my muscles would contract involuntarily, and
he would get a slightly harder pump than before, causing him to moan
outloud. The lips of his tender ass would clench around me and I'd
almost scream with pleasure. It was too much...I was gonna lose it. I
had to stop for a moment.

I'd discontinue my humping for a second and just try to calm my body
down, hoping to go on for a little bit longer. But even when I lay
motionless on his back, it felt like I was still going. His insides
sucking, churning, and chewing at me. My hardness stiffening and
tightening inside him as his warm walls surrounded me and pulsated with
a continuous tremble that took my breath away. Then...when I was
convinced that I could start again, I'd give Taryn another long
push...and be at the very edge of orgasm all over again. Sighhh....I
love him too much to hold back the emotion in my movements. My body was
ready to blow.

We had gotten rather experienced since we've been together. Even with
Bryson keeping us 'focused on other things', even with our previous
inexperience, we were figuring sex out more and more everyday. It wasn't
just experimenting anymore, we were trying new things, new motions,
exploring every inch of one another. My movements were becoming more
natural, and I knew what spots to hit. I knew how to make Taryn whimper
out loud, and how to make him gasp with little nibbles and touches.
Moving in and out of him, I knew how to use the most erotic circles with
my hips now...grinding deeper into him and truly touching his pleasure
centers in every way possible. He loved it when I rolled my hips against
him. If I did it just right, he'd curse outloud in the cutest way and
push back against me. Smashing those gorgeous butt cheeks against me and
begging for more. When you're a virgin, you never think you're gonna
actually be good at this...but with practice...you feel like a pro. We
enjoyed each other so much.

I sped up as I felt myself reaching my limits, and Taryn couldn't hold
on himself once he knew how close I was. My hands reached underneath
him, holding onto his chest as I rested my chin on his shoulder. My hips
humped into him faster, and as my hands cupped over Taryn's nipples, I
felt a gentle tingling in my fingertips. Gyro's extra began to
spontaneously pour out of me, and gave Taryn an orgasmic rush as the
tingles washed over him. "Oh SHIT!...Oh God.....Ahhhhh!" He was overcome
with the sensation, and his whole body began to wiggle and stretch
beneath me. His violent squirming almost dislodged me from his tunnel,
and I had to press my hips in harder to keep him still. I kissed the
back of his neck madly as I pumped harder and harder. Taryn exploded,
his juices seeping into the mattress as his ass clamped down like a vice
on me. I couldn't hold it. I tried, but I just couldn't. I came
violently into him and my body seemed to go numb for a moment before
being so overwhelmingly sensitive that it was hard to breathe. We both
continued to whimper and cry out as our bodies tried to ride out the
intense explosion...and it was a full five minutes before my senses had
come back to me and allowed me to roll off of his back. We were
breathless, and I don't think my body was ever more satisfied.

Finally, after staring at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, I
turned to see Taryn smiling at me. His eyes sparkling brightly. Then he
popped up and rushed forward to kiss me hard on the lips!
"Hehehe! What?" I giggled.

"Omigod...DAMN, I love you!" He said, kissing me again and hugging me
close to him excitedly. "Shit..." He whispered to himself breathlessly
with a grin. "...wow...."

"Hahaha! I take it you had fun!"

"Fuck you..." He mumbled, giving me a playful smack on the leg for
teasing him. I saw him blush a bit for his outburst, but it only made
him twice as cute as he was before. "I love you, Justin." The words
escaped his lips as unintentionally as they had from mine not long ago.
I was flattered by having that effect on him, to inspire even a fraction
of the feelings I held inside for him.

"I love you too." And although we stayed awake for almost another hour,
it was the last words passed between us until the sleep came to pull us
in. Every night would be a holiday, as long as my baby was laying here
by my side.

The next evening, I woke up early as usual. But not so early that I'd
have to worry about the sun. In fact, Taryn might have woken up to join
me if I had stuck around for another twenty minutes or so. I rolled over
to place a few gentle kisses on the back of his head. I moved closer to
spoon up behind him, but again, his body was so cold. I nearly caught a
chill, and only held his naked body against me for a few minutes. He
slept so peacefully, even with his body shut down completely he seemed
to radiate this glow of life. I kissed him once more on his cheek, and
then got out of bed to get dressed. I had an appointment to keep.

I made sure to leave the lot before Bryson and the others came to. No
questions about where I was going meant no lies. Just a little bit
longer...just long enough to learn what I've got to learn to defend
myself...and then I'll tell them. One by one. They might hate me, reject
me, maybe even disown me...but I had to tell them who I am. I had
to be free of this mask and let them in. After all they've done for me,
it's the least I could do to repay them.

I followed the directions Comicality gave me and it led to an old
warehouse basement somewhere just outside of the Loop. It was dusty and
dark, almost looked like it was ready to be torn down at any minute. I
made my way down into the basement, and heard the faint sound of voices
in the distance. I had to brush cobwebs aside to walk a straight line,
and the dust in the air made it almost hard to breathe. I coughed a bit,
covering my mouth so as not to make any noise. But I think I had been
detected, because the voices stopped.

I went further around the corners of the basement, entering a large room
wth high ceilings. I saw a man standing next to a table at the far end
of the room, about 30 years old from the looks of it, with a dusty
overcoat on and a pair of sunglasses. "Hello?" I said.

He spun around and a scowl appeared on his face. "Who are you?!?" He
shouted. It caught me by surprise. "HUH?!?! ANSWER ME!" I froze up.

"I'm...I'm Justin. I'm supposed to meet..."

"What the hell do you think you're doing here? Do I know you?" He said,
stomping his way closer. "Nah! I don't know you! I don't know YOU at
all!"

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong place..." I said, turning to walk out,
but he put his hand on my shoulder, roughly gripping it and spinning me
around.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck you're doing
in my house!"

"Someone told me to meet them here. Maybe I got it wrong or something,
that's all. It's just a mistake."

He shook me hard. "I'LL say it was a fucking mistake!" What the hell was
going on here? What could I have possibly walked into. "You spying on
me, boy?"

"NO! I already TOLD you..." But before I could finish, he pushed me!

"Who do you think you're talking to, kid? Think you can raise your voice
up at ME? HUH? Punk ass little brat like you!" He pushed me again, and I
took a step or two backwards.

"DON'T!" I said, my feet automatically digging into the floor. "I
suggest you keep your hands off of me." It was the last warning I had
planned to give him.

"Don't worry kid, I ain't gonna touch ya." The man said. "But HE
is." By the time I had turned around, it was too late to react. I felt a
kick hit me in the chest as I saw someone drop down from the ceiling. I
went reeling back into the older man's arms, who spun me to the floor. I
got up just in time to see a younger boy, about 16, come flying at me
with fists swinging wildly. My mind switched off and my instincts took
the playing field. I was able to block and dodge every blow, eventually
catching his leg and spinning him around to the floor behind me. The
other man attacked, he was much stronger, and blocking his punches was a
lot more painful than dodging them, so I just did my best to stay out of
his way. When the boy got up again, they both attacked me at once. My
mind and body got confused with the amount of action going on around me.
If I struck out at one of them, the other would hit me from behind. If I
struck back at him, the other would sweep my legs out from under
me. I was trapped between them, and they never once gave me time to
think. But my body was adapting quickly.

I spun to the side and connected a punch to the man's side, grabbing his
arm and swinging around him to kick the boy in his stomach! Then used
the man's arm to spin him to face the other way and kicked him in the
back, knocking him into the table. Another kick reached out behind me
and hit the boy before I was even aware that he was up again, and I
turned to roundhouse him to the floor. I took my stance and waited for
the next rush...but the boy just held his jaw and started laughing to
himself. I didn't move, wondering if this was a trick or not. You can
never be too sure. "Hehehe! Holy shit." He said, standing up to his feet
again, rubbing a sore spot on his stomach. "Hot DAMN, boy! You really
are the real thing, aren't ya?" He said. He walked over and stuck out
his hand, but I felt my body jump on instinct, still on defense. He
pulled his hand back, and tried to calm me a bit. "Whoah there. Wind it
down, buddy. Don't let the reflexes tell ya what to do. Ease down...ok?"
He said, gently putting his hands on top of mine. I felt my fists loosen
a little, and he softly pushed my arms down to my sides. "Ease it down.
Just a little." I then felt the tension in my arms begin to release, my
legs came next, and my defenses started to shut themselves down. "There
we go. Good boy. You're gonna have to get a grip on that, you know? It's
nothing to play with, believe me."

I looked behind me and saw the older man pick up his coat out of the
dust and brush it off before putting it back on. "Who are you?" I asked
the teenager.

"The name's Dizz. This here is Jazz. I understand you're in dire need of
some speed training over the next week or so?"

Jazz gave me a dirty look, and basically thumbed his nose at me. "Hmph!
I still say it's a fluke."

"A fluke? C'mon, Jazz! Dude, are you kidding me? You saw
how the kid reacted, he's a NATURAL! I've never seen anything like
that."

"Lucky shot. Anybody can learn a few moves." Jazz lit up a cigarette,
halfway sitting on the table.

"I still say he's the one."

"And I still say that there's no way something that powerful could exist
in the hands of a 'half-life'. No offense." He said to me.

"WATCH it!" Dizz said with a point of his finger.

"No offense taken...I don't think. What's a half-life?" I asked.

Dizz grinned and walked me away from Jazz's apparent bad mood. "It's a
kid that crossed over before the age of 21. But don't worry..." Dizz
spoke up loudly so Jazz could hear him. "...because it's just a
STEREOTYPE created to make kids feel like they're STUPID!"

"I didn't say he was stupid. But look at him. He's a little BOY
for crying outloud. What does HE know?"

"He knew how to knock the both of US on our backs."

Jazz walked over and blew his cigarette smoke in both of our faces. "We
were playing a game, Dizz. He was supposed to win."

"Whatever...OLD man." A comment that got Jazz to give him the middle
finger. "Listen, I hope we didn't shake you up too bad. I've always
wanted to know what it would be like to fight a mimic, you know? I've
gotta admit, I'm a bit of a fan when it comes to the mimic legend. I've
read ALL about them! The history, the evolution, the myths versus the
facts, vampire theory....you NAME it! It's truly an 'honor' to actually
SEE one with my own eyes." He looked me up and down, a huge smile on his
face, his short blond hair damp from the current scuffle. "Com will be
here soon. We'll teach you a few things here and there, let you soak up
some new moves, teach some basic stances and all..." He stopped talking,
still staring at me. It made me a bit uncomfortable to be on 'display'
like that. "...Wow. I'm sorry, but...wow. A real living, breathing,
mimic. Say...do you mind if I test something out really quick?"

"Um...I guess so." I didn't expect to have a 'fan' afterall. It was
kinda nice. STRANGE....but nice. "What do you want to..." But before I
could even finish my sentence, I saw his fists ball up and he swung at
me top speed! My hand lashed out and caught his wrist, but he broke
free. He began kicking and spinning like a madman in front of me, his
punches and kicks coming within inches of my face. But it took no effort
at all to block them. Every blow. Until finally I caught both of his
wrists and held his arms crossed in front of me. The grin that spread
out on his face was priceless.

"SWEET!!! Wow....fuckin' A!!!" He shouted. "You are PERFECTION kid! I
LOVE this guy!"

"Hopefully you are done playing games." Came a voice out of the shadows
in the back of the room. And Comicality emerged from the darkness in
front of us. "We have a lot of work to do."

"The big guy's here. Jazz?" He said, and Jazz put out the cigarette
immediately. "You ready to work?" Dizz said to me.

That giant wicked smile of his was almost intimidating me into saying
no. I didn't know what to expect, but considering the last few 'lessons'
Comicality had taught me...I didn't expect it to be pleasant.
"I...I....guess so." I stuttered. And Dizz and Jazz looked at
each other with a smile.

"Alright playboy...it's SHOWTIME!"

To say that the rest of the night was an experience in exhaustion would
be an understatement. Hours and HOURS of stretching, and flexing, and
technique, and stance. Hours and HOURS of proper control, and balance,
and power, and speed training. My arms and legs were like weak spaghetti
noodles by the time the first four hours had passed. Breathing was near
impossible, and they didn't give me much time to rest at all. Even my
head felt full, absorbing ever fighting style they came at me with,
every placement of my feet, every impossibly high kick. Jesus, I don't
think I had ever sweat so much! Com mostly just watched my technique
from the sidelines, trying to get me to do it right. To
concentrate on doing it right myself. The one thing that he kept
stressing was focusing on guiding my punches and kicks purposefully.
Instead of just on instinct. I think that was the hardest part. My arms
and legs, fists and feet, were already doing it FOR me. Why did I need
to guide anything?

The first 'weakness' he found in me came from my inability to fight more
than one opponent at a time. He saw me taking heavy damage when trying
to concentrate on too much at once, and came over to guide me through it
as I huffed in frustration.

He stood behind me and tried to get me to focus my energies in more than
one direction. "You see two enemies, you can't deal with them one at a
time. They won't come at you like that. Instead, focus on the space
between them."

I sighed with aggrivation. "I'm not getting any better at this..."

"Yes you are, you just need to learn how to split your attack between
multiple opponents. That's all." He said, and had Jazz and Dizz stand in
front of me. "Now...instead of trying to take them on one at a time, try
cutting your most potent strikes in half. Deliver a blow or two to Dizz,
and while he's recovering, you strike out at Jazz. And then back again.
Keep them on one side of you, if you can. Concentrate on the space
'between' them. Ok?" Com backed up, and I tried again. I did as he
asked, attempting to fight two enemies at once, but my mind would easily
get twisted up in how to deal with them, and my moves would get so
jumbled up that I'd almost fall flat on my face. When he told them to
stop the excercise again, I was embarrassed at my poor execution. "It's
ok, Justin. It takes time, ok?" He said, but looking over at Dizz, I was
kinda hoping to be as impressive as he expected me to be. I WAS the
fabled 'mimic' afterall. I was kinda embarassed. "Keep at it, try again.
Remember, disable and divide. It doesn't matter if it's two attackers or
twenty. Your only focus is to keep them reeling until you've got a
chance to deliver a finishing blow to the one closest to being
unconscious. Got it?"

"I'm trying..."

"I know you are. Just keep your mind on the battle." He went back to the
sidelines and watched as I tried again. And again. And AGAIN! I had
taken more punches and kicks that night than I had my entire life. I
can't believe how hard it was to do this. All the time, Com kept telling
me to 'divide and disable', and 'kicks are stronger, punches are
faster', and 'watch their footprints. Know their position at all times
in relation to you.' It was SO much to take in all at once. But I tried
my best. I just hope I didn't look too silly doing it.

For even longer hours, the sparring continued. I was able to adapt to a
whole new armada of new moves and skills, but I was tiring out fast. The
whole time, Comicality was criticising my movements. "Justin..." He'd
say. "You HAVE to force yourself to use your mind to execute these
moves. Stop relying entirely on your instincts."

"If I think too much, it doesn't work. My hands get all twisted up and I
can't block anything." I told him.

"It WILL work, if you control it."

"They'll HIT me!"

"ONLY if you believe that they will." He said back. If only he knew how
HARD it was to try to block 'on purpose'. Usually my body just kinda
'does it' all by itself. "Focus Justin. Guide your abilities, don't let
them guide you."

I did as he said, and concentrated on making my arms and legs move as I
commanded them to. Dizz and Jazz attacked again, pulling their punches,
but making sure that they were skillful enough to challenge me. My hands
blocked a few punches, but their kicks would get in almost everytime.
Then, I felt Jazz kick me hard behind the knees to knock me to the
ground! My breath blew up a small cloud of dust, and he laughed at me
from above. Com shook his head, and my frustration set in. "WHY can't
you just let me do this MY way?!?!?" I shouted.

"Your way lacks control, Justin. That's the missing link in you actually
being able to fend for yourself. Your abilities are very strong and
exact indeed, but all they have to feed off of right now are your
emotions. That can be dangerous."

"It worked just fine before!" I said, brushing myself off. I saw Jazz
still laughing at me, and exploded. "SHUT UP!!!"

"JUSTIN!!!" Comicality shouted out my name, and gave me a look to get me
back in line. "This is the kind of display that will be your downfall in
the end. Emotion clouds judgement. You CAN'T just lash out angrily at
everyone who causes you stress." He walked over to look me in the eye.
"A mimic has the power to do a LOT of damage. Do you understand? If you
don't get it under control, you're going to make a mistake that you
can't take back. You can really hurt people if you give in to temporary
moments of anger. You NEED to learn that." He said. "Now try again."

He stepped to the side again, and I watched as Jazz and Dizz circled up
around me. I took my stance, and let out a calm sigh as I tried to get
my focus back. They rushed in from both sides, and we began to spar in a
frenzy. I did my best to concentrate, trying to get a hold of my
manuevers and planning my own strategy instead of being just as
surprised as they were. I managed to hold my own for a bit, but it was
HARDLY as effective as depending on my body to protect me was. That's
when I felt Jazz give me a hard kick to the back of my legs again! While
Dizz was sparring like he was supposed to, Jazz seemed to be
taking little hateful shots at me whenever he got the chance. And it was
seriously PISSING ME OFF!!! Finally, after feeling another punch knot up
the muscles in my back, I exploded! I shut my mind down and let the
instinct protect me like it was MEANT to do! I flipped out of Dizz's way
and kicked Jazz as hard as I could in the throat! He fell back to the
ground, spitting up a spatter of blood. And with another kick to his
stomach, I sent him sliding across the floor to ram into the wall on the
other side of the room!

"JUSTIN!!! That's ENOUGH!!!" Com yelled out, and rushed over to grab my
shoulder. My abilities were as wound up as they possibly could
be, and I struck out at him too! It was just like before, my temper
tantrum spun throughout the room like a cyclone, and I'd take on anyone
who put their hands on me! ANYONE!

"Ease it down, kid!" Dizz said, trying to get me calm again. "Don't let
it get a hold of you." My arms were burning, my legs tensed
tightly enough to kick a hole in a wall! Jazz was just now getting up
from the attack, and held his stomach while wincing in pain. My anger
stayed with me, the rage keeping my fists clenched and my eyes focused
on the next person to move from their position. "C'mon, Justin...get
control..." Dizz came over to put his hand on me again, and my arm
reacted, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind him. Jazz rushed
forward and I kicked him over a table in the distance. It was then that
Comicality rushed in to stop me. He broke my hold on Dizz instantly, and
pushed him to the side. My arms began to flail all by themselves,
striking out at Com as hard as I could! It felt like it wasn't even ME
anymore. My body just reacted to years and years of pent up frustration!
I wanted to rip into him with everything that I had, and my temper raged
out of control.

My punches and kicks went everywhere, and Com blocked them all without
even breaking a sweat. He caught my leg in mid kick, and held it under
his arm. "Skill, without control...is a waste of talent." Angry, I
flipped backwards to get away from his hold, and began attacking him low
to the ground. But his legs could block just as fast as his arms could.
I tried hitting him with all of my strength, my anger fueling me with
explosive energy. But what he couldn't block or deflect to the side, he
simply stepped back from, and let the punch swing aimlessly in the air.
This time, he caught my fist in his hand, and squeezed it until I fell
down to one knee. "Power, without focus...is a waste of energy."
ARRRRGH!!!! I pulled my hand free, and attacked with a flurry of kicks,
my legs becoming a blur as I tried to find an opening. ANY opening! If I
could connect, just ONCE, I could take him! I KNEW I could! But
again, while attacking, he easily side stepped my best movements. He
spun around behind me, grabbing the collar of my shirt from behind, and
spun me around by the neck until my feet nearly left the floor! Then he
let me fall to the ground on my back and stepped down hard on my chest.
"Speed, without direction....is a waste of time." That was IT!!! I
kicked him in the back and sprung up to my feet! I came at him with
everything I had to give! Tears of anger almost pouring out my eyes from
the frustration of being beaten so easily. But he didn't waste any time
putting me in my place this time. With a quick flick of his wrist, he
used three fingers to hit a special spot on my collarbone....right in
the center at the base of my neck...and then his palm hit me deep in the
middle of my chest. I was knocked back a few steps, and gasped for air!
Suddenly, with no warning at all, I felt both of my lungs collapse, and
my heart stopped!!! I couldn't BREATHE! I stared ahead, and Com just
stood in front of me, knowing exactly what he had done, but letting me
suffer through it for just a little bit longer. No matter what I did, my
lungs would not inflate themselves again, and with my heart stopped, I
felt faint, cold...I was dying. Right there in front of them.
"Anger, without caution.....will get you killed." Com said, and
with another strike of his palm to my chest, my heart started beating
again, and my lungs were released!

I took in a giant gulp of air, and fell back to the floor! "What the
hell did you just DO to me?!?!" I shouted, still gasping for breath.

"There are vampires out there, trained KILLERS, with extras and
abilities the likes of which you have never SEEN! What makes you think
you have a chance against them when you're too emotional to do anything
more than make an ass of yourself?" Com said, yanking me back up to my
feet with one arm. "These aren't some bully's in high school, Justin.
This is REAL. This is serious. And I'm goig to tell you right now that
feeding off of your anger is NOT going to protect you when the truly
dangerous vampires come calling." He scolded me outloud, and I looked
down at the floor as I realized what a mess I've made of everything by
getting out of control like that. An apology was out of the question at
this point. "Go home." He said. "Dawn is approaching rapidly, and you
need time to rest and reflect. This session is over."

Not knowing what to say or what to do, I brushed myself off, and began
walking towards the door. Nodding a silent apology to Jazz and Dizz for
my outburst. But before I was out of earshot, Comicality called out to
me. "Same time. Tomorrow night. Meet here." He...he wanted me to come
back? Com kept a serious face, but I could see Dizz break out into a
grin. I take it that means I hadn't screwed up. Not TOO badly, anyway!
Dizz gave me a thumbs up, and I couldn't help but smile back at him. Com
was giving me another chance. And I hoped to take better advantage of it
next time. That thought alone, kept me smiling all the way back to the
lot. Despite all of my shortcomings...he actually believed in me. And
something about that, helped me to believe a little bit more in
myself.

It was drizzling outside, the kind of rain that warns of a storm on the
horizon. It wasn't really enough to bother you....just enough to get you
noticeably wet and inspire you to complain. I sped up my pace, not
wanting to be caught out in a possible downpour if I could help it. It's
not like we had a 'dryer' or anything back at the lot. Then...just
before reaching home...I got that strange feeling again. This time...it
was closer. Coming from the roof of the old abandoned building near to
us. The one where we usually go to get some privacy and talk. It was the
strangest sensation, like I could feel a pair of eyes on me and not see
anything in the distance. I began to wonder if either Trevor or Michael
had made it their mission to follow me. Or if may the Beast had found a
new way to invade my thoughts. Whatever it was that was causing this
weird paranoia, it was guiding me up to that rooftop. Maybe tomorrow
night I'll creep up there and see just what's going on.

I got back to the lot and entered through the front gate as everyone
else was getting ready to turn in for bed. Jun trotted over to meet me
up front and said, "Dude...don't say anything to anybody. Just get to
your trailer and go to sleep. Trust me on this. Bryson's on the rampage
tonight about you not being here..." But Jun's warning came too late.

"Justin! Get over here!" He said, and Jun winced at me being
discovered.

"Shit..." I whispered.

"Sorry. You're own your own, man." Jun told me, and went back to get in
his car for the night.

"I'm sorry, Bry...." He interrupted me in mid sentence.

"You are NOT to miss ONE more training session! Do you understand
me? Not ONE more!" He yelled.

"I just went out for a..."

"NO excuses, Justin! You've got a bad habit of cleverly ditching the
rest of us and running the streets unaccounted for. I don't want to put
you on lock down, but if I HAVE to, that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Do
you understand me?" He was angry. Really angry, but there was a feeling
of concern in his words that let me know that I really disappointed him
this time.

"I..."

"Go...go to bed. We'll discuss this tomorrow." He said sharply. "Go!" He
put up his hand to let me know he didn't want to hear any more excuses,
and just remained satisfied with the fact that I was home and safe. The
strangest thing was...I don't think I ever had a real 'dad' before. Not
one that I could claim as something comforting in my life,
anyway. After all of the beatings and the cursings and the way my real
dad used to abuse the shit out of me...I was almost relieved to have a
father figure that cared about me. Bryson...in looks alone,
wasn't much older than I was. But in wisdom and responsibility, he
seemed like such an old soul. Who knows, maybe he was. Whatever it was,
it was the first time I'd ever had anything even resembling a real
'father' in my life. This was as close as I was ever gonna get to it.
And it felt good in an awkward way. Bryson took over where my dad
couldn't hack it, and despite the yelling and the guidelines and the
chores...a part of me really appreciated the margins he set for us. At
least he gave a fuck about me and tried to guide me in the right
direction.

I made my way back to the trailer where Taryn was already getting ready
to crawl into bed. "Hey..." He said with a smile. He was laying on his
stomach on the mattress, and looked like he was writing something in an
old book. He sped up his hand a little bit to finish off his current
thought before giving me his full attention.

"I missed the whole night tonight. Didn't I?" I wanted to at LEAST spend
SOME time with him and the others.

"Yeah, you did. You jerk." He giggled.

"Bryson's pretty mad at me. Isn't he?"

"Yes...yes, he is." Taryn rolled over, closing his book all the way.
"But I think it's more about Rain and Darren being so cozy than it is
about you. I'm sure of it." He said. "In fact...hehehe...he was speaking
rather highly of you up until a few hours ago when you didn't come back
to let us know where you were."

"Highly of me? Well that's a change."

"I don't know what you said to him last night, but you must have made
some kind of good impression. He almost loves you as much as I do."
Taryn smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Come here...I wanna show
you something."

I sat down at his side while he brought the book he was writing in up to
display for me. "What's this?" I asked.

"It's my diary." He grinned. "And it's almost finished. This will be the
seventh one I've burned through, I believe. I'll need a new one
soon."

"Any juicy tidbits in there?"

"Read for yourself." He said, and he handed me the book without a second
thought.

Taryn propped himself up on his elbows and gave me a loving look. "This
diary...all of them really...was written for all the years that I've
been here. Living in darkness. Believe it or not, it was Tiana that gave
me my very first one. She signed it too." He smiled warmly at me, and
leaned his head against my arm. "Every word was written with a part of
my heart included. A part of my soul. And since half of my heart and
soul belongs to you now....I suppose you're just as entitled to
read it as I am." The sweet gesture flattered me to a point of almost
having a lump in my throat. And when he handed me the book, I treated it
like gold.

He turned to a certain page for me, and pointed towards a specific
entry. "Check this one out." He said.

"This entry isn't from that long ago." I said.

"Nope." He grinned. "This was written the night I saw you for the first
time. A few months back, on the Pier." I paused to look at him briefly.
"Go ahead...read it."

My eyes followed the passage from beginning to end, finally getting an
idea of what life must have been like for Taryn before he found me. What
was shocking for me was the fact that it wasn't all that different from
what life was like for me before I met HIM. I made sure to go over the
entries, absorbing every word and doing my best to match it with a vivid
image in my mind. Reading his words made me smile. A few passages stood
out, and I was lost in his writing. "You still have wet dreams?" I
giggled.

"I did." He answered. "I'm stuck in the body of a 14 year old
boy, it happens all the time. Unless of course you've got a boyfriend to
take care of it for you. Hehehe!"

I read further. And saw him talking about me in the most favorable way.
I couldn't believe my eyes. "The cute charm and grace of the boy next
door. Is that suppose to be me?"

"Yeah...that's you." He raised up a bit and kissed me on the cheek.

"It says here you like Trevor an awful lot too." I raised an eyebrow and
he blushed.

"I didn't say I LIKED him, I said I wouldn't mind sleeping with him!
There's a difference!"

"Yeah...well not for me. So you stay away from either action."

"Don't worry. I've got everything I need and more right here in front of
me." He kissed my lips and then turned to lean back the other way in the
bed. Slipping under the blanket as a yawn escaped his lips.

Reading those words..in his own handwriting...having him share such an
intimate part of himself with me at that moment...I knew that I loved
him more than I'd ever love anyone else ever again. The secrets I had
been keeping from him had been boiling up inside me for too long. They
needed to come out. I wasn't going to hold back from him any longer.
It's time the truth be known. "Taryn...?"

I was trembling inside, knowing he'd be ok with the confession, but
feeling the nervous jitter rise up inside me anyway. Fear of putting it
in the right words I suppose. "Yeah?" He asked.

"I....I love you so much....and I don't want...that is..." Get it
together, Justin. Just speak from the heart, and he'll understand. "I
know that I've been keeping secrets from you. And.....I don't....wanna
do that anymore." I looked back, and saw Taryn's face. I can't really
say that it 'lit up' really. If anything, he seemed more concerned with
why I was doing it.

"Justin...showing you the diary...I didn't mean for it to be a
bribe or anything. I just..."

"No. No, I wanna do this. Because you mean more to me than anything in
this world. And this can't wait." I said, and he laid back down to
listen to me silently. I took a deep breath, and prepared to spill
everything. "There's a reason that I've been sneaking around so much
lately. Or why Comicality wanted to find me. Or why Tim needed to see me
more than once. I'm...I'm not exactly...'normal'..."

Taryn yawned again, and said, "Yes you are, hon. You fit in just fine
here."

"No...there's more than that." I told him. "Do you....know what a
'mimic' is, Taryn?"

"Um...yeah. A mimic, legendary vampire from ancient times, vampire
scriptures, page 305 I think. Cool story by the way if you haven't read
it."

"Taryn...." I paused for a second, and Taryn just waited in silence.
"...According to what I've been told, and what's happened to me since
I've crossed over...I think...I think I might be one." I didn't get an
answer. No sound at all. I didn't dare turn around to look back at him.
I'd chicken out for sure. Maybe it was shock, I don't know. But I had to
keep going. "Tim was the first to tell me about it. Char and Becca
confirmed it. They say it's because of the life I lived before being
born into darkness. It's funny, you know? I live my whole life trying
not to be different, then I crossover and end up being more different
than ever." I let my eyes drop down to my shoes and sighed. "I should
have told you, Taryn. I wanted to tell you ages ago, but...I was SCARED.
The last thing I wanted was to be an outcast again. I didn't know what
to do. If I told you I might be putting you in danger, I might be
putting everyone here in danger. And it's not that I didn't trust
you...I just....I didn't want to ruin the way you look at me. You know?"
I said. "The way you seem so....'pleased' with me. I've never had
anybody love me before like you do. And I don't want to wake up from the
fantasy, Taryn. I can't. That would kill me. I have a family
here, friends, people I can trust. And if it just wasn't for this ONE
little secret spoiling everything and making my life harder...it would
be paradise." At that moment I turned around and looked at his angelic
face. "I want to live in paradise, Taryn. With you. I don't want my
secrets to hold me back anymore." Looking closer...I saw that his eyes
were already closed. "Taryn?" I put a hand on his cheek, and it was ice
cold again. That peaceful slumber had come to carry him off from me, and
I could only smile and shake my head. "Heh...well I guess it CAN wait
for one more day, huh?" I doubt the bastard got past his last comment
before drifting off. But to be honest, the confession wasn't as hard as
I thought it would be. And he'd be sure to get a repeat performance when
I woke up again the next evening. I kissed him softly on the cheek, and
laid down next to him. Fully clothed, I didn't even bother to kick off
my shoes. I just wanted to be there with him, listening to the extremely
faint beating of his hibernating heart, and feeling his love surround
me. Even in his sleep.

I passed out shortly after Taryn did, and slept on top of the covers.
All the way through to the next evening...when I woke up to quite a
surprise.

I could feel my awareness of my surroundings becoming crisp and clear
before I even opened my eyes. No doubt, I was 'early' again in my sleep
cycle. Hopefully not too early where I'd have to lay bored in my bed
until the sun had set completely. Biding my time until the night hours
without Taryn to keep me company could be maddening sometimes.

I felt my eyes flutter open as life returned to my body. My limbs began
to loosen themselves from the ice cold sleep, and my vision was coming
back into focus quickly. I looked over to see Taryn's angelic face
laying next to me, his soft lips gently parted, the wisps of his silken
hair laying tenderly across his forehead. Even though he was asleep...I
was drawn in for a kiss. Ohhh, to taste those lips when you wake, there
was no feeling like it in this world. But what struck me as odd, was the
sudden sense of another person's presence in the room with us. It was
faint at first, but was growing stronger as my senses returned to me. A
familiar signiture...possibly the same one that I had been feeling just
outside of the lot recently while coming home. The one from the roof.
Yes...that's the one. It's unmistakable. My hearing became more acute,
and there was definitely a rustling next to our bed. As though someone
was hurriedly going through our things while we were asleep. But not
just ANYONE...it was another vampire!

I quickly turned over in the bed, and saw someone in our van with a
large brown sack, half full with our possessions. He was wearing a skin
tight black suit underneath a long black overcoat, with tinted goggles
and a scarf wrapped around his neck. I saw him digging through my
drawer, so preoccupied with what he was doing, that he didn't even
realize that I was awake. Maybe that was the point. Maybe I wasn't
supposed to be awake yet! I didn't move, trying to think clearly
about what was happening here. I saw him putting a lot of our personal
belongings into the bag, and while I was still a bit groggy, it was
obvious that this stranger was stealing our stuff! I remained
still, not alerting him to the fact that I was wide awake and watching.
I don't think he had any idea that I was on to him. Maybe that was his
plan all along, to rob us while we were sleeping! He's taking our stuff!
He's a RAIDER! And I decided to act before it was too late.

I quickly sat up in the bed. "WHO ARE YOU?!?!?!" I shouted out,
startling him and almost causing him to drop the bag he was holding.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?"

The vampire didn't answer. The gig was up, and he knew he had been
caught. There was only a split second pause before he chose his next
course of action. And with a few quick moves of his hand, he pulled a 16
inch rapier out of his sleeve! My eyes widened instantly, and my
instincts awakened themselves at the speed of light, prepared for
defensive manuevers! He then pushed his blade forward towards my FACE!
My first natural reaction was to grab the pillow behind me and put it in
front of his weapon while dodging to the side! The rapier pierced
straight through the pillow and nearly knicked me on the right ear! It
was damn CLOSE! I felt my hands twist the pillow around the blade, but
with a jerk of his hand, he cut right through it and pieces of the
cotton filling went everywhere! He wasted no time in continuing his
attack, the rapier stabbing and slashing at me as I did my best to lean
left and right in the bed to avoid being cut to pieces!

He struck out at my eyes, and I leaned back to a laying down position
JUST in time for him to miss me and stab the headboard just inches above
me! He pulled it out of the wood, and I tried to kep my mind clear long
enough to keep from becoming a shishkababob here! I kicked out to force
his rapier hand up towards the ceiling of the trailer, but he brought it
right back down to stab at my legs! I pulled them back as fast as I
could, and spun a foot around to kick him against the wall as hard as I
could. Taryn was still a hostage of the deep sleep, and despite the
motion on the mattress, could not wake up! I got up on my knees to
continue fighting, but there was hardly room for me to get to my feet!
The thief's skill with his rapier was unlike anything I've ever SEEN! It
was so swift while slicing through the air that everytime it whizzed by
my face you could hear it cut the air in half! I didn't have time to
THINK, I could only react, letting my body take over and HOPING that my
mimic instincts would protect me! My hands concentrated on that blade
and nothing else, blocking every possible blow, trying to grasp his
wrist and keep it from running through me! My legs, on the other hand,
were doing their best to come out from under me to strike back! But I
couldn't MOVE! I didn't have ROOM to move! It was distracting to have my
body trying to take control where my mind couldn't. Trying to execute
moves that weren't possile in this confined space. My instincts didn't
know any better...they only knew how they were supposed to react
to an attack. No other factors, like limited space and ability, was a
part of my body's strategy. I guess this is what Com meant by forcing my
instncts to obey me.

It was then that he swiped to the side of me, taking a slash at the
pillow right next to Taryn's HEAD! He saw my alarm at his actions, and
knew he had a new target to distract me with! He stabbed downward at
Taryn's chest, and I reached out with both hands to intercept it! He
twisted his arms, trying to get loose and find a way to harm my
boyfriend while he was sleeping, but I'll be DAMNED if I let him harm
one HAIR on that boy's head!

I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM FIRST!!!!!!!!!

My fighting techniques increased by an infinite number, and I
connected a punch that dislocated his shoulder from the
impact...knocking him back aginst the door of the vehicle! The raider
was NOT so easily discouraged though. He put his hand down on the floor
of the trailer, and with a vicious twist of his shoulders, he snapped
his arm right back into place and came at us again! Reacting more on
Taryn's behalf than my own safety, I grabbed a corner of the comforter
on the bed, and wrapped it around Taryn as we both went rolling off the
side of the bed and onto the floor! Taryn was rolled up, like in a
carpet, hopefully giving him a bit of cushion from the fall. And on the
way down, I kicked up the edge of the mattress at our attacker, watching
as his rapier pierced right through it! Luckily the size of the mattress
weighed his hand down for a second, and that gave me the opportunity to
finally stand up on my feet! Alrighty...let's see how this son of a
bitch handles himself in a FAIR FIGHT!

By the time he had freed his blade from the mattress, I was already on
him! A flurry of punches landing in various places on his chest, and a
side kick that pinned him up against the wall! His arm reached up to
slice at the back of my calf, and when I moved it, he kicked me back
against the opposite wall! The whole trailer tilted violently to the
side, rocking back to get its balance again moments later. The two of us
came to the middle of the confined space and began fighting blow for
blow like angry pitbulls in the ring! I had to lean way back to avoid a
slash to my face, and was trying to fight back, but my hands and feet
would slam up against the walls or the ceiling in the process. It was
too small a place for the kinds of moves my body was trying to pull off,
and I was taking more damage than he was! I was able to finally catch
one of his arms and turn it around behind him, pushing his face down on
the floor and grinding it hard into the surface! I tried to break
the arm! But he was much too fast, and somehow contorted his body to
turn around and push me back off of him! He came at me with a kick that
I dodged just in time to see it dent the wall next to my head! The
raider then took advantage of the moment, turning to throw his rapier in
Taryn's direction! He attempted to spear it right through him!!!

It only took an instant for Jun's extra to kick in for me, and I jumped
towards his flying blade, the all enveloping focus concentrating on the
handle of his rapier and catching it in mid air before it was able to
reach it's target! I spun around in mid air and tossed it right BACK at
him before even hitting the ground, slicing his shoulder with it! I
don't think he expected this kind of challenge walking into our camp
tonight, and the surprise was evident in the pauses he made in his
fighting style with every counter maneuver that I gave him! We began
heating up the room again with a display of punches and blocks that
seemed endless, no matter how fast and hard we battled one another! The
whole vehicle was rocking with the movements, and not a single person in
the lot was awake to help me! I had to settle this once and for all! I
needed space!

Spinning around him, I got him to stand in front of the door! I found an
opening...and kicked out with ALL my strength at his chest! The blow
connected, and he was knocked clear out of the trailer and outside onto
the ground below! The sky was extra dark, and it was raining BUCKETS
outside! The storm must have blown in full force while we were sleeping,
and as the raider fell down into a huge puddle of muddy water, I heard
thunder strike loudly all around me! Then....with a flash of lightning,
I saw two MORE raiders elsewhere in the junkyard behind him! Three of
them??? With bags??? We were being robbed! ALL of us!

I dove out of that trailer and rolled to my feet, taking my
stance and waiting for their next move! The rain soaked me from head to
toe almost instantly, the huge raindrops splashing down over my face as
I tried to keep my eyes on the people in front of me. It was cold,
windy, dark...my clothes already felt heavy with the excess water
weight, and the flashes of lightning and thunder were even more
distracting. But I was the only one standing between them and the
others. I had to defend my HOME! Focus Justin.....this isn't an
excercise here...this is the real thing! And they mean business!

All three of them rushed towards me, and I felt my adrenaline kick in to
high gear. Get a hold on it....don't let it control me. They attacked
with a fury, and I did my best to block them all. Think
Justin....seperate them into individual thoughts. 'Disable ad divide'.
You can DO this! Find the pattern. Find the pattern. THERE IT IS!!! Once
I noticed it, my whole body seemed to come alive with a new awareness.
My foothold on the wet ground below became strong, and my eyes focused
crisply on each one of them. I found the pattern, now it's time to show
them just how big of a mistake they made coming in here tonight. This is
my HOME! My FAMILY! And I'd defend them with my life if I had to!

They attacked in unison, but I only had to deal with them a few blows at
a time. My mind seperated them all by itself, and the sequence of my
attacks suddenly became so clear. So EASY! Block one kick, and strike
out at the one on the left. Block one punch, while knocking the one on
the right off his feet. Then kick out at the one in the middle while the
other two took a second to recover from the last two strikes. Everything
that I couldn't block, I could easily dodge or move away from. And by
weaving in and out between them, they had to hold back just to keep from
hitting each other. The harder they fought, the more they fed my
abilities, and I just got stronger, faster, and more aggressive with
every blow. It was WORKING!

The thunder roared above us, and while tossing one of them to the
ground, I saw two more raiders in the distance around Dylan's
car! The short loss of focus allowed two of the attackers in front of me
to kick me in my chest, and I fell back into the mud! It was ice cold,
and the dirty water washed up over my face as it soaked me even worse
than before. "You son of a BITCH!!!" I back sprung to my feet and
charged at the three of them, delivering an angry jumping spin kick that
sent ALL of them spinning to the ground simultaneously! The other
two were coming to join the fight, and as confident as I was in my
enhanced abilities, that might be too many for me to handle at once! I
needed help, and I needed it NOW!

I flipped my way back towards Dion's truck and started banging on the
door and window! "DION!!! WAKE UP!!! WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!!!" But there was
no answer, and in no time, I had two raiders breathing down my neck! I
dodged their kicks as best as I could, but he used his saber to cut me
across the chest, and I felt a slow drip of warm blood bleed down from
the wound. I twisted myself away from him to roll over the hood of the
truck....only to meet up with another raider on the other side. He swung
violently at me while I did my best to fend off his attacks. I got a few
shots in, but felt a pair of hands grab me from under the truck and pull
me down to the ground! I quickly rolled over onto my back to kick the
hands away, spinning around to sweep the other raider's feet out from
under him.

The storm was blinding me, and the cold water was almost causing my
limbs to freeze up and cramp, my fingers already going numb. But I
didn't have time to warm up, I had to keep fighting. I lashed out at the
two men in front of me, taking time to block, strike, and counter the
way Dizz and Jazz taught me to. I then became aware of another presence
behind me...a raider standing on top of one of the empty wrecked
vehicles in the lot. He was swinging a chain with a heavy weight at the
end of it, and it shot out from his hip, trying to hit me in the back of
the head! My head dodged to the side just enough for him to miss, and I
grabbed the chain over my shoulder. With a hard tug, I pulled him off of
the car and flipped him to the ground in front of me, his back splashing
up a tidal wave of water in one of the many muddy puddles. It was then
that I felt another cut scratch me in the back, and I swung out madly to
keep him at a safe distance from me. They were surrounding me, striking
from different positions, and getting wise to my tricks as the fight
continued. I ran towards one of the masked men and kicked him hard in
the stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. I rolled over his back
and kicked the man standing behind him, twirling around to backhand him
to the ground. I blocked kicks from two more as I tried to make my way
out of their striking range, and ran over to Max and Kid's car to bang
on the windshield without response. I ran over to Jun's place, Bryson's,
Dylan's..."WAKE UP!!!! SOMEBODY!!!!" But they were still under the spell
of the sleep. Nothing would wake them, not yet.

I felt a kick land directly in the center of my back, and I fell forward
into the mud, sliding forward for a good five feet or so. I rolled over
on my back to get up, but once I was on my feet, another kick connected
with my face, and I felt myself being clotheslined back to the ground
again. Feet began to stomp on me from all sides, kicking and bruising me
with every blow. And something unexpected happened. My mind was brought
back to that night when I was still alive, outside of my house again. It
seemed like I was suddenly sucked into a dreamworld, feeling those kids
kicking and hitting me with everything they had. And when my mind came
back to reality again, my hands angrily grabbed handfulls of dirt and I
braced myself for what was to happen. An electric charge built up to
high uncontrollable levels inside of me, and with a clench of my teeth,
I shouted outloud and released it into the air around me. Not my own
extra, but something different. A huge shock as explosive as the storm's
lightning itself. It shot out in every direction and knocked them all
back a few feet! What the hell was that??? What happened??? I didn't
have much time to think! I had to get help!

I ran over and started pounding my fists against Rain's car. But they
were RIGHT behind me, and I had to jump up on the hood to avoid having
my legs cut by the saber of my attacker! I kicked him in the face and
flipped backwards off of the hood to hit the ground running! I tried
Dion's truck again, but they were getting wise to my plan, doing what
they could to cut me off from my persuits! I was dodging chains and
knives, kicks and punches, from five different people at once, and
barely contorting my body well enough to escape the damage they were
trying to put on me. The rain had made the ground slippery and hard to
move on, but we all were managing to keep the battle going anyway. Just
then, as my limbs began to tire out...I heard a car door open in the
distance!!!

"RAIN?!?!?!" I shouted out, but it wasn't her. It was Darren!
Thank GOD for a 'human' with a normal sleep pattern!

"Dude...what's all the ruckus out here?" He said, groggy from being
awaken by my sudden pounding. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the pouring
rain on his shoulders. He focused on me and the five raiders duking it
out with a fury, and didn't know what to make of it at first. "What the
hell is going on???"

"DARREN!!! Wake the others! NOW!" I said, and ducked JUST in time to
keep from having a crowbar slammed against my face! "HURRY!!!"

Still unsure of what was going on, but recognizing the urgency of the
situation, Darren reacted by jumping back into the car and shaking Rain
violently in her sleep. "RAIN!!! Rain, wake up babe! Justin's in
trouble!" He shouted. "Rain???" He kept shaking her, but to no avail.

I dropkicked one of the men to the ground and felt myself fall back into
the mud. One of them tried to grab me, but I was too slippery to hold
onto. I slid my arm out of his lock, and spun around with a kick to his
face hard enough to almost break his neck. I turned and saw a tire
coming full speed at my head! I fell backwards to the ground to dodge it
JUST in time, and sprug back up to strike out at the person who threw
it! My instincts finally combined with my focus, and actually started to
'obey' my commands all of the sudden. I felt more in control, more
balanced. And the second I though of an action, my body reacted. Not
only that, but my body began to 'feed' me possible courses of action to
read and translate into a display that could take down the BEST of them!

Darren was still yelling at Rain, discovering that she was 'more' than
just asleep at this point. "She's not waking up! It's like...it's like
she's DEAD or something!!!" He screamed.

"KEEP TRYING!!!" I shouted back! And went back to fighting! I opened one
of the wrecked car doors to hit one of the raiders in the stomach,
raising my foot up to kick him in the face over the top of it. The one
in front of me, I twisted his arms around mine, and held him helpless as
I head butt him on the bridge of his nose. Note to self....headbutts
HURT!

I felt another presence behind me and kicked outwards to knock the
crowbar from his hand. A few more advanced moves, and he was face down
in the mud! I twisted my hips to keep from being stabbed from behind,
and closed the already open car door on his hand...kicking him hard in
the jaw! The rain was getting worse from the feel of it, and I couldn't
keep going for much longer. My muscles were wearing down fast, and the
dizziness of fatigue was starting to affect my balance. The Raiders,
however, seemed to be having their hands full with my defenses, and they
were getting their asses handed to them on a silver platter. They
wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer either at this rate. I just
hope they start dropping out before I do. And that's when I saw one of
the raiders take his mask off, revealing the fresh face of young dark
haired boy about 18 years old. He stared directly at me, as though he
were concentrating on something. Even in the dark I could see it, and it
meant trouble.

It happened so fast that I couldn't turn away fast enough. His eyes lit
up...a dull golden glow at first, and then a HUGE flash! Like a nuclear
explosion! I was staring right at him when he did it, and I instantly
went blind!!! My eyes were wide open, and I couldn't see a thing!
It was disorienting, and with the rain and thunder, I couldn't hear the
raiders around me. I was scared, but took my stance anyway, trying to
relax and focus as well as I could. I heard the sound of approaching
footsteps splashing in the mud around me. I felt a slice of steel pass
over my arm, and then a kick land on the side of my head! I fell to my
knees and tried to get up quickly before they could surround me. I felt
a punch hit me in the chest, another blow hitting me in the back. I
moved quickly to the side, but felt my legs run into the side of a car,
and I rolled off of the hood to the ground. I rubbed my eyes, but
nothing could get my vision back! I heard more footsteps splash my way,
and I was left to fight blind! I backed up swiftly, hoping to get a
chance to fight back. But again, I felt kicks connect to me from out of
nowhere, and I was unable to stop them. Everything was shrouded in a
cloudy purple haze, and I was left swinging at nothing! I couldn't see
them! I couldn't FIGHT them! I felt kicks and punches come from
different sides of me, and I was helpless to stop them from doing it!

I tried to kick ad punch out into the air around me, but they obviously
had the advantage. Their attacks were too much for me to handle. They
were literally beating me to the ground! My desperation got the best of
me, and I knew I had to do something fast! I cartwheeled away from them,
my body swirling around in a confusing pattern in order to avoid any
more pain. And that's when the 'halo' returned. It circled my head, and
I didn't take the time to aim it this time! I just let loose! The brain
geyser shot forward violently, but missed it's target! Instead, they
dived out of the way and it dented one of the wrecks in the yard, almost
ripping it in HALF with its power! The windows of the car all blew out
at once, and the loud sound of the metal twisting up and cracking from
the impact! You would have thought that it had been hit by a TRAIN! The
car frantically flipped over and went rolling to the other end of the
lot. It was the strongest blast that I had ever created before! I was
almost weak from the burst of energy. The halo remained though, and I
held it steady while I searched blindly for my opponents. I heard the
footsteps beside me, and my leg kicked outwards to knock him back
against Dion's truck! Another presence came from behind, and I flipped
forward, catching his arm with my feet, and twisted around to send him
spinning to the ground with his friend! I reached out to catch a third
to hip toss him to the mud, and stepped down hard on his chest. I could
sense the others getting to their feet, and did my best to aim towards
the sound of their splashes to shoot out another blast in their
direction. It knocked back two more raiders running at me from the
front, lifting them off of their feet and causing their heads to throb
in pain! Blind or not, they were NOT going to beat me! Not
tonight!

My vision was finally beginning to return to me after the flash, and I
could start making out fuzzy shapes and objects again. Good for me, bad
for them. I used my legs to kick out at them wildly, and knocked them
back two or three at a time. Even soaked through with rainwater, I was
faster than they were able to block. And after knocking two of them to
the ground, the third tried to stab me with his saber. I'm not sure if I
'summoned' it up or if it just happened on its own, but Chad's extra
kicked in out of nowhere to protect me. With a blur that I could hardly
control, I practically 'teleported' behind him with a speed that left an
image of me still standing in front of him! He was confused, his saber
still outstretched, piercing right through the heart of my 'image'. But
before he could figure out what was happening, I grabbed him from
behind, flipping him down into the dirt and stepping on the back of his
head to nearly drown him in the puddle beneath us!

"She's coming to!!!" I heard Darren shout out, and my vision was almost
back to normal. The others were waking up, and finally, I had some help!
Thank God, because my arms were about to give out, and these guys just
seemed to keep coming! Dion was the first to emerge from his truck, and
dove into the battle without a second's hesitation! I saw him spin one
of the raiders around by his arm and kick him hard to the ground!
Napolean was right behind him, sharp canine teeth ripping into the arms
and legs of any enemy that he could reach! He drew blood easily, barking
aggressively as the raiders realized that they were losing their hold on
their advantage! Car doors began to open all over the lot, and the whole
FAMILY stood up to the threat! Max rushed at two of the intruders
and tackled them to the ground from behind! And I watched as Trevor and
Michael both double teamed one of them, biting deep into his arm and
shoulder as though trying to devour him alive! The sudden flurry of
resistance was so swift and savage, that I found myself standing back to
stay out of their way. Despite all of my mimic abilities...they seemed
to have it all under control in a matter of seconds. The vampires
inhabiting this lot were NOT helpless! Not by any means!

I heard Jenna shout out, "Jun's still locked in his car from the
outside!" Looking over, I could hear him pounding to get out. Since his
sleepwalking habits made it necessary to lock him in, he had no way
out.

Bryson used a right hook to nearly knock one of the raiders over the
hood of the car, and then called out, "Dylan!"

"I'm on it!" Dylan said, and he 'blanked out' right in front of me, his
extra taking effect faster than I had ever seen it before. He rushed
over to Jun's car, invisible to us all, and unlocked it, freeing him
from his confines. Dylan just stood back as Jun sprung from the
car to fight alongside his companions.

"Justin???" Taryn's voice called from behind me, and he ran up to stand
at my side. Like I said, I could only stand back and watch at this
point. My body was so weak that I was surprised that I was able to stand
at all, my muscles spasming and twitching as they tried to wind down.
Everyone was beating the SHIT out of the intruders, and I was almost
scared to get back into the battle for fear of getting in the way. I saw
Rain stab someone in the leg with her pocket knife, and kick him between
the legs hard enough to lift him almost a FOOT off of the ground! And
Max looked as if he had a century's worth of aggression to let out on
the guy he was pounding into the mud! They had no choice but to
give in!!!

"We lost daylight! They're all awake!" One of the raiders shouted, "Fall
back!!! MOVE IT, MOVE IT!!!" And they did their best to get away.
Wounded and bruised, we chased the five of them out of the lot, watching
as they headed for the streets! It was the LAST time they'd even THINK
about fucking with us here!

"DAMMIT!!!" Max shouted, looking at the wet sacks of merchandise in the
yard. "Sons of bitches! LOOK at this!" All of our stuff was getting
soaked in the rain, pictures, radios, clothes...you name it. Whatever
they could grab. The bags were soaked through, and a lot of our stuff
was totally ruined.

Everyone took a moment to breathe, checking to make sure everyone was
alright. And soon began to take inventory of what was stolen. Even in
the pouring rain, we refused to go back in until we had found a majority
of our stuff again. It was all we had, afterall. "Fucking raiders..."
Jun said, finding some of his favorite books soaked through to the
spine.

It was then that I hugged Taryn close to me, so happy to see that he was
safe. And I saw Darren's face over his shoulder. He had basically helped
to save us, and was hugging Rain close to him...but the illusion had
pretty much been broken. I could see it in his eyes, he knew something
was wrong. He knew that what had just happened...wasn't normal. And we
had no explanation for him. None. Deep down, his exposure to who we are
was no better than my own the night Trevor pushed Jun over the side of
that overpass. He knew...and we'd have to tell him something once he
started asking questions.

"I heard you." Taryn whispered in my ear.

"What?" I asked, not sure what he meant at first.

"Before I went to sleep last night...you were talking...about...you..."
He looked up at me, the rain giving his green eyes even more of a
sparkle than usual. "...I heard you." That was all he said, and
he hugged me even tighter. We stood there together in the rain...knowing
that even harder times were ahead. I knew it, Taryn knew it....and soon,
the rest would know it too.